Riverside

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

Okay wow that it a lot of elf in her personal space. And a lot of potentially compromising questions she doesn't have time to spin answers for. And some innuendo that Atya might be seeing through the possible deception after all... or at the very least no longer believing her.

This could be a problem.

But, Mhearai manages a small, nervous grin and plucks the scallop off her fork, snatching it up between her needly teeth, and swallowing it so quickly she doesn't even seem to chew.

Damn. It didn't even taste good like this. She needs to find some way to cut back the tension. Fortunately, Atya's attempts to intimidate reasonably lend themselves to a second interpretation.

"...You don't waste any time, do you?" Mhearai manages to say, grabbing a napkin and dabbing her lips as she scoots back just a little from the elf. "This is normally the part where I'd ask you to take me to dinner before getting that close, but lo and behold."

[Shadowcaller]

[Currency Exchange]

Ava holds up her palms in a gesture of surrender as she hadn't been quick enough. "Alright, alright, I can give you that. Let me just make a call and I can have a car brought forth."

And if she does let the detective make a call, a vehicle will indeed be brought forth eventually as Ava takes her leave to discuss things with her coworkers. The question is of course if the woman is going to let her hostage go now.

With reinforcement already here there are a whole bunch of cops at the currency exchange now. Watching her every move.

[Charity Dinner]

The woman looks down at her script, hesitating. She wished she could just take the cute creatures compliment but things were pretty bad. "I figured it should at least be a bit provocative though and there are so many issues that I struggled to settle for a single one. Besides, I saw it being called that on the news so it's not too out of line is it?" She scratches her head. "But I'm, uh, willing to take suggestions."

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Intimidation and flirting can be one and the same, and in this case Atya was going for a bit of both. But as much as she's enjoying this verbal fencing, she doesn't want to take things too far.

It would sure be nice to get a straight answer about, well, anything though.

"Are you suggesting something untoward? You wound me," she says, placing a hand over her heart in mock distress. "But you're right, every second is very dear to me, so I'm loathe to waste them."

She leans back in her chair, running a hand through her bleached hair as she stares at Mhearai. How long to keep this going? It's a fun game, but perhaps the time has come to end it.

As a moment's silence, she smiles disarmingly. "Listen, you don't need to lie. I'm not sure what your angle is, but you can just... tell me. Is this an assassination attempt? Go for it. Is this about Reinholdt? Or are you actually an ex that I've somehow forgotten about, because that is actually possible."

She taps her forehead. "I've had like, so much brain damage over the years, and even if I heal sometimes the memories don't form right." There, a genuine honest fact about herself. Surely that means she deserves one in return.

[[brackets lover]]

[Charity Dinner]

Mogzoku tilts his head at the antlered woman, a hint of concern in his expression. "Very well, I concede the point, kupo. As far as suggestions go, word is that student debt relief is a pretty hot topic nowadays. Perhaps it would not be remiss to get Ms. Atya's views on that, kupo?"

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exchange]

"...Smaht choice."

Hazel doesn't release the hostage right away. She doesn't seem inclined to take the implicit claim that they gave her a functional, tracker-less vehicle at face value. She insists on inspecting it, the engine in particular, before she'll get in and drive off, and it's a lengthy, tedious process, with her holding the hostage at gunpoint and being unwilling to take her eyes off of him or the surrounding cops for more than a second at a time, lest they spot an opening for taking her down.

Finally, she throws in her bag and shoves him into the passenger seat, borrowing his handcuffs to make sure he can't do anything to stop her from within the vehicle. From there, she climbs in herself, and starts to drive away. If apparently left alone, after about half an hour, she'll stop just long enough to release the officer, still leaving him in cuffs but unharmed on the side of the road.

She's keeping the gun, though. It's a nice gun.


[Charity Dinner]

"...Damn."

Mhearai lowers the napkin and sets it next to the plate in front of her. Yeah, that's... definitely her being caught out. It's also definitely Atya being more gracious about it than she would expect. If there was ever a time to come clean, this would be it.

"...All right, you got me." She says, folding her hands in her lap. "But for the record, everything I've told you about myself, apart from my name and my place of origin, is Adea's honest truth. I really did swear off alcohol. I really do have a bunch of kids at home. I really used to be a bit of a trouble maker... admittedly, I didn't say that part out loud, but we both know I was implying it as hard as I could."

She straightens up a little. "All of it together is... it's been rather wearisome." She continues. "I came up here to Riverside to get out of my head a little. Relive the good old days, where I didn't have any assets but the cloak on my back and no responsibilities outside of looking out for number one. I have no idea who you are, and I could care less about Reinholdt being here. I just wanted a night where I could feel alive again."

She plucks one of the scallops from her plate, squeezing the morsel between her fingers. "...But, apparently, I've lost my edge just a bit." She continues. "Or I got too ambitious with it. Whatever the issue is, it's ruined now." She glances back up at Atya. "...Out of curiosity, what gave me away?"

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Atya grins, seeming not at all displeased with this turn of events. Now that she knows that Mhearai bears her no ill will, she can appreciate the humor in the situation.

"Hey, you had me for a while. The best lies are partial truths, right? Let the other person's assumptions do the work for you." She drains the last of her poison. "And I wouldn't worry about your edge- you had me going for a while. If I wasn't such a suspicious bitch I'd have probably believed everything you said."

She's clearly a lot more relaxed now, and when she leans forward again it's in a conspiratorial way rather than to throw Mhearai off balance. "I became suspicious because, well, I only met Rein fairly recently so it would have been a pretty big coincidence if you knew us both. But I confirmed by mentioning my bodyguard's name- it's Daisy, not Marigold. I'll have to introduce you sometime."

Sitting back, Atya takes a moment to admire her nails, then she winks at Mhearai. "You know, it takes guts to bluff your way into a situation like this just for the thrill of it. Anyone who does something like that is okay in my book. If you ever want to go out on the town and raise a little hell, I'm down. You know, girl's night stuff." She can't help but admire the audacity, especially when the dinner was already free.

Oh, one last question. "So wait, do you actually know Rein, or was that a bluff too? No worries either way, of course."

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

...Did...

Did she just?

The fiendling's lips slowly turn up in an awkward, bashful smile. "...You know, I think I'd like that." She says softly. It's been a while since anybody's even extended the offer to be her friend, in such explicit terms, but it's been even longer since she's had a fellow red-favoring paint enthusiast. What on earth did she do to deserve that kind of luck?

...Ah, well, she's been overdue for a massive stroke of good fortune anyway.

And it sounds like she still did a pretty good job, all things considered. Had Atya called her out using Daisy's name as evidence, she could have easily turned around and said she'd just forgotten but knew it was a flower of some kind. It wasn't as damning as she had at first thought.

"...So, if we're gonna do that... I feel like I should introduce myself again. Properly this time." She extends her hand across the table to Atya. "Braon Hexenborne. Good to meet you."

...And then the subject of Reinholdt.

"I know I know his name, but I'm not entirely sure from where." She says after a moment. "Less close than a friend, but more close than the news. I think I might have met him at some point but I can't say I remember the details."

[Shadowcaller]

[Charity Dinner]

Mogzoku tilts his head at the antlered woman, a hint of concern in his expression. "Very well, I concede the point, kupo. As far as suggestions go, word is that student debt relief is a pretty hot topic nowadays. Perhaps it would not be remiss to get Ms. Atya's views on that, kupo?"

[Currency Exchange]

"...Smaht choice."

Hazel doesn't release the hostage right away. She doesn't seem inclined to take the implicit claim that they gave her a functional, tracker-less vehicle at face value. She insists on inspecting it, the engine in particular, before she'll get in and drive off, and it's a lengthy, tedious process, with her holding the hostage at gunpoint and being unwilling to take her eyes off of him or the surrounding cops for more than a second at a time, lest they spot an opening for taking her down.

Finally, she throws in her bag and shoves him into the passenger seat, borrowing his handcuffs to make sure he can't do anything to stop her from within the vehicle. From there, she climbs in herself, and starts to drive away. If apparently left alone, after about half an hour, she'll stop just long enough to release the officer, still leaving him in cuffs but unharmed on the side of the road.

She's keeping the gun, though. It's a nice gun.

[Charity Dinner]

"That's a good idea." The woman starts writing that down but pauses after a moment and looks up. "But what is her stance on student debt relief? Since our- uh, my daughter is getting to that age."

[Currency Exchange==> Outside Riverside]

There is a helicopter and a few police cars following her at a respectable distance, only stopping once she let's the cop go.
But then it would appear she's cutting her loose.

Well, aside from the large-but-not-giant spider hiding inside her new car. But insects can't be cops, right?

[Murkus]

[Crash Site]

Jade

The stranger rises from the cracked hole he's just made in the vessel floor. He brushes off bloody knuckles with short, gruff motions.

"Nanthu acht," says the stranger, muffled by his mask. His voice is wet and guttural. "Huh-huh. Chimera. G'thai ai acht ouh!" The stranger lunges toward Jade with the intent to seize her, risking driving her backward toward a much more dangerous part of the corridor. It has been flooded by a viscous, flaming fluid seeping from the cracked walls themselves, one that smokes and churns as it consumes the bodies that fell there.

Just behind the masked man, the antlered warrior is trying to force himself to his feet. His words seethe through gritted teeth. "Kill him!" The man urges, only hoping that Jade is some kind of warrior. "Kill him now! Or run!"

Doctors Eun and Khafir

"Oh!"

"You don't--"

They look at each other. The two smallish humans huddle for a moment, whispering harshly. It sounds like Laffia is trying to get Garimo to do something. Eventually, he sighs. He looks briefly, cautiously at the skyflenser and then back to the two women.

"The rot is... very bad. It is an affliction of the spirit, the mind, and the body all alike. It can be communicated usually through ritual or contact with infected individuals, sometimes via more esoteric means, however... Only those with certain predispositions toward special perceptions will risk infection."

"It's something in the blood, my proctor says!" Laffia pipes up helpfully.

"Yes. Well." Garimo rolls his eyes. "The infected will usually attempt to draw others into their fold. They claim... they claim this is to share some secret knowledge. It may well simply be the propagation of a living entity influencing their minds. However, suffice to say that... that..." He looks warily again at the skyflenser, eager to be away. "Strange... very strange things happen when the rotted are near. Hallucinations. Ch-changes. It is not well and fully understood."

"This affliction supposedly originates from Zebub, the Rotfather, an entity called upon in their lore--"

"They do orgies and killings in his name!" says Laffia. "It's all quite scandalous!"

Garimo slaps his hand to his face and leaves it there, sighing.

"Anyway. I wouldn't let one of their Mouths touch you. That is... one of their members who has gone beyond the point of initiate and become... become..." Garimo rubs his shoulder. "Something else. Everyone assumes that the changes and dangers associated with the rot are more virulent than they really are... that breathing the same air is enough to doom you, or even speaking to these people. It's simply not so. But we will be killed, if anyone finds out that we were aboard that ship, so you must keep it to yourselves. Please."

Olympia

"Why yes, that's right," says Seveira smoothly. "Shahala and his ilk serve a broken throne. They want something that... they really ought'nt have." She looks at the ship again. "I need to find it."

Seveira starts for the head of the ship. It's huge, faintly resembling a gold and tan dragonfly, excepting that it has four huge bulging compound eyes instead of only two. These great lenses have remained intact despite the crash, and the colossal wreck can be seen reflected in any one of a thousand ruby mirrors. There are also a pair of gaping hollows, almost like nostrils on any other beast, in the center of the great thing's 'face'. It's one of these that Seveira steps beneath.

"One of the local heroes? Are there so many then?" Seveira asks, glancing down at her companion. She pauses, something in her stance betraying a glimpse of hesitation. She points gently. "You should cover your face. There will be smoke." She looks up and, with an easy hop, clears the gap from the ground to the hollow. A vertical hop of nearly twenty feet. Then she pops back out again. "Do you need help?"

[Morty]

[Charity Dinner]

"She's here somewhere. I'm certain she's more than eager to meet you as well." Having a literal queen backing your election efforts would be quite the boon after all.

Reinholdt has much less to say about the fear of demons though. "I find it more effective to fear demons on an individual basis than as a whole. Suppose it depends on how many you meet. But some treasures require... esoteric acquisition methods." Rein shrugs lightly. "But then I suspect I'm more used to dangerous, yet fulfilling encounters."

Why he's risking his life right now, flirting with a matriarch.

"Hmm. Well-spoken. Atya is fortunate to have such a... spokesman? Or advisor?" The Queen leaves this question hanging in the air. "You speak for her with fervor and eloquence."

[[brackets lover]]

[Charity Dinner]

Mogzoku raises a finger to his chin for a second. "Dunno, kupo," he replies, his high class guise faltering at the moment in favor of casualness.

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

Oh good, Atya was hoping for that kind of reaction. When you're that good at lying on the spot, you tend not to let anyone in, so it's important to find friendship where you can. She knows from experience- you can be around people constantly and still be completely isolated. Despite her status as a social butterfly, most of her connections are ephemeral at best.

"Atya Xilo," she says warmly, shaking Braon's hand. "I must say, I haven't had this much fun with a simple introduction in a while." She wrinkles her nose. "So I take it the whole working for a demon thing was true too? Sounds like not a lot of fun, that's for sure."

She nods at the confirmation about Reinholdt. "That makes sense. Sorry if I got snippy about him earlier, he's my... well, we haven't put a label on it yet, but we started something recently and I'd really like if it kept working out. It's a little terrifying to actually care what happens, you know?" She shrugs, as if it's not a big deal at all. It clearly is, but Atya is far too cool to really show it.

---

And thanks to the temporal magic of the Nexus, somewhat later in the evening Atya sidles into the conversation between Mogzoku and the nervous antlered woman, popping up suddenly between them.

"Goe- stranger I've never met, thank you so much for fielding questions from the public. At this rate I should hire you onto my PR team!" She laughs the insincere chuckle of a politician before turning and extending a hand to the woman.

"A pleasure to meet you madam, I'm Atya Xilo. I couldn't help but notice you looking in my direction- is there anything I can help you with? Have you eaten dinner yet?" She beckons to a server who carries a tray of cocktails in their direction.

[bc56]

Crash Site
"I don't do that," Jade responds. She dodges around, away from the fire. "Hey big guy, over here!" She makes sure the brute can see her before she dashes down a corridor leading towards the head of the ship.
She has to lure him away from the wounded man.

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

"Hmm. Well-spoken. Atya is fortunate to have such a... spokesman? Or advisor?" The Queen leaves this question hanging in the air. "You speak for her with fervor and eloquence."

[Charity Dinner]

Reinholdt equally leaves the answer hanging in the air. "Fervor? Is it fervor to find positive qualities in a candidate you believe best suited for the role? Tillvael pushes an agenda that promises security in a way that will never leave anyone actually feeling secure. Felandria suffers from the same issue all incumbents suffer from eventually... being in office when something bad happens. Atya does seem the only logical choice."

Rein manages to procure a glass of champaign from a passing waiter without them noticing and takes a light sip. "But you must already agree with her platform on some level if you're here."

[Ironsmith]

[Currency Exchange==> Outside Riverside]

There is a helicopter and a few police cars following her at a respectable distance, only stopping once she let's the cop go.
But then it would appear she's cutting her loose.

Well, aside from the large-but-not-giant spider hiding inside her new car. But insects can't be cops, right?

[Outside Riverside]

Fortunately, that assertion says nothing about arachnids.

Once she's about thirty minutes out from the police breaking off their pursuit, Hazel reaches into the right sleeve of her jacket and pulls out a cell phone; the one she claimed she didn't have, tucked into an elastic band sewn into the inside of the sleeve. A few button presses later, she sets it on the console next to her and continues down the road, her gazed fixed ahead like a responsible driver.

"Hey, Han. We can talk freely now."

"Thank god. Where are you?"

"Somewhehe outside of Rivehside. Nohthbound on da I-...somethin'. Haven't seen a sign in a minute."

"...Yeah, I don't know why I asked." A beat, then, "We really doing this? Going back on the run?"

"I don't see any uddeh options. Dat possession stohy wasn't gonna hold up ta scrutineh. Fihst time dhey ask about my accent, I'da been screwed."

"Yeah, fair enough. Props there, by the way. All that vocal training really paid off."

Hazel grins. "Maybeh, but I gotta give you da Oscah on dat one. I dunno what you said to dat lady but ya seemed ta sell her on da story much betteh dan I did."

"All I really did was act like I was worried about my wife. Which wasn't hard, considering I was."

"...Aw, Han..." Hazel's cheeks glow slightly. "...Ya knew I was gonna be fine, right?"

"Yeah, but I still get butterflies. And that was way closer a call than either of us would have liked."

"Ya don't say."

"Did you get the records?"

"Yeah. Dhey're on da back seat. I don't think dhey're gonna do us much good now, dhough. Even if we do find Guild connections in dhere, neitheh of us can show ouh faces in Rivehside again. Dhat basically rules out any opehations we'd do wit' dhat infohmation."

"...Yeah. That sucks. But, hey, maybe there's still something useful in there. Gotta keep your chin up and all, right?"

"Hundhed pehcent." Hazel smiles.

"...You know what else? I know we were doing that whole color code thing, but I really did grab the pink one. I'm wearing it right now. Well... half of it, at any rate."

Hazel's blush returns. "H... Han, I'm driving, come on..." She smirks. "Besides, you suhe dat's a good idea, wit' Intehsection on yeh butt?"

"I'm not worried. I skipped town as soon as I got off the phone with you. I'm waiting for you at Outten Inn like we discussed, and didn't leave any trace as to where I was going. They're not going to find me. And if they do, I've got a different kind of surprise for them."

"...You brought da bomb?"

"...Well, you know. Most of it. Couldn't track down the remote."

"We wehe saving dat, dhough."

"We can make another one if we need to. Besides, I couldn't not bring it, right? Especially with the new plan being the old plan and all of that?"

"...I guess dat's faih."

"...Speaking of bombs... you know I've been missing your butt all morning?"

"H-Han..."

[Crash Site]

Doctors Eun and Khafir

"Oh!"

"You don't--"

They look at each other. The two smallish humans huddle for a moment, whispering harshly. It sounds like Laffia is trying to get Garimo to do something. Eventually, he sighs. He looks briefly, cautiously at the skyflenser and then back to the two women.

"The rot is... very bad. It is an affliction of the spirit, the mind, and the body all alike. It can be communicated usually through ritual or contact with infected individuals, sometimes via more esoteric means, however... Only those with certain predispositions toward special perceptions will risk infection."

"It's something in the blood, my proctor says!" Laffia pipes up helpfully.

"Yes. Well." Garimo rolls his eyes. "The infected will usually attempt to draw others into their fold. They claim... they claim this is to share some secret knowledge. It may well simply be the propagation of a living entity influencing their minds. However, suffice to say that... that..." He looks warily again at the skyflenser, eager to be away. "Strange... very strange things happen when the rotted are near. Hallucinations. Ch-changes. It is not well and fully understood."

"This affliction supposedly originates from Zebub, the Rotfather, an entity called upon in their lore--"

"They do orgies and killings in his name!" says Laffia. "It's all quite scandalous!"

Garimo slaps his hand to his face and leaves it there, sighing.

"Anyway. I wouldn't let one of their Mouths touch you. That is... one of their members who has gone beyond the point of initiate and become... become..." Garimo rubs his shoulder. "Something else. Everyone assumes that the changes and dangers associated with the rot are more virulent than they really are... that breathing the same air is enough to doom you, or even speaking to these people. It's simply not so. But we will be killed, if anyone finds out that we were aboard that ship, so you must keep it to yourselves. Please."

[Crash Site]

"We can not make any such promises." Khafir replies matter-of-factly. "But we will endeavor to ensure your survival, one way or the other."

"...Right." Eun clears her throat, removing a pair of pristine white bundles from her Hotbox. "So this rot... it's basically a pathogenized cult, more or less?"

"It sounds more involved than that." Khafir frowns. "And would perhaps be better described the other way around. But in any case, I am not certain how much help the hazmat suits will be."

"...I'm still wearing it."

"Of course. I am, too. It would be better to have some protection than not." Khafir nods. "But we will not presume that the suits will protect us entirely. If you have any other sterilization tools present in your files, we will be employing them before we return to base."

Eun gives a nervous grin. "...Sounds like you've, ah, got the right girl for the job, then."

"Quite." Khafir looks over to the skyflenser again and starts undoing the bundle, unrolling the aformentioned hazmat suit and starting the process of pulling it on. If left uninterrupted, she and Eun will proceed into the opening. Khafir will notably also have armed herself, borrowing another tool from Eun's Hotbox; this time, a pistol with a tank of compressed gas strapped to its side, somewhat resembling an airsoft gun but presumably more potent.

Charity Dinner

Oh good, Atya was hoping for that kind of reaction. When you're that good at lying on the spot, you tend not to let anyone in, so it's important to find friendship where you can. She knows from experience- you can be around people constantly and still be completely isolated. Despite her status as a social butterfly, most of her connections are ephemeral at best.

"Atya Xilo," she says warmly, shaking Braon's hand. "I must say, I haven't had this much fun with a simple introduction in a while." She wrinkles her nose. "So I take it the whole working for a demon thing was true too? Sounds like not a lot of fun, that's for sure."

She nods at the confirmation about Reinholdt. "That makes sense. Sorry if I got snippy about him earlier, he's my... well, we haven't put a label on it yet, but we started something recently and I'd really like if it kept working out. It's a little terrifying to actually care what happens, you know?" She shrugs, as if it's not a big deal at all. It clearly is, but Atya is far too cool to really show it.

[Charity Dinner]

"Oh, it's not as bad as all that." Braon waves her hand dismissively.

It's worse, actually. She's leaving out the part where she was trapped in hell for the duration of her service, held there against her will after recovering from gunshot wounds accrued while attempting to do the demon queen a favor. But that was years ago and she hasn't seen much of Sekhmet since then, apart from occasionally spotting her around GLoG and tacitly choosing to take her walk in another direction. It doesn't really benefit her to linger on that anymore.

Her expression hardens a little as Atya goes on into her relationship with Reinholdt. "...Not really." She replies quietly. The closest she ever had was Fayyaad, and it was painfully obvious where they stood.

...Oh, come on. Why was she even going to therapy if she was just going to leave it at that?

"...But I can see how it would be." She continues after a moment. "Getting in close with people in general is, ah... an experience." She grimaces. "...I suppose we have the advantage here, in that we both already know what the other looks like when they're lying through the teeth, yeah?"

Braon doesn't know if Atya's actually lied to her, apart from the bit about Daisy. But how's she supposed to make her feel better if she doesn't take a few minor liberties?

[Rebonack]

[Crash Site]

Olympia doesn't reply verbally, she merely nods. Okay so buncha guys board the ship to try to steal some sorta Mcguffin off it. The fight causes the space ship to crash and of course it crashes right into the Nexus.

Now...

If her Super Heroics and Narrative classes are any help then what's probably gunna happen is that another hero will hook up unknowingly with the space pirate guys and then both groups will collide in the Mcguffin room where the true intent of both factions will be dramatically revealed!

Or something like that, she figures.

Then?

The giant nose looms above them.

Right as the bug lady pokes her head out a silver gauntlet trailing a purple silk scarf like a rocket's contrail suddenly goes whizzing up and latches onto the cavity's rim. Moments later Olympia follows, the retracting scarf in her grip.

"Nah, I'm good," she says, wrapping her heroic scarf over her nose and mouth. As soon as she releases her grip on her improbable grappling hook it vanishes in a poof of silver and purple glitter. "And there's a lotta heroes. Lotta villains, too."

[Morty]

[Charity Dinner]

"I do find it intriguing. It deserves being given a chance." The Queen smiles pleasantly... but the sharp teeth underneath her lips might spoil the image somewhat. "Ah, but perhaps we should table the politics until I meet your dear candidate." There's a particular emphasis on the word "dear" here. "Tell me, mister treasure hunter. Have you ever plundered the earth's depths? There are wonders to be found there, but in places even our avaricious goblin neighbors dare not enter."

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

The way Braon brushes off her time with the demons gets a suspicious eyebrow arch from Atya. If there's anything she knows, it's the look of someone hiding their past trauma under bluster and a dismissive attitude. It's a look she sees in the mirror every day. "Hm... well, I won't pry. But it sounds pretty bad to me."

It's not like she expects a heart to heart- this isn't the place nor the time. But she won't just forget it either.

She smiles understandingly at Braon's distaste for relationships. That hesitation says a lot. "Aw, are you saying we're going to be close? Lucky me," she says with a wink, "But yeah, I get it. People are the worst, and it's best to assume the worst of them. Hell, for years the only person I've cared about was Daisy, and I could only stand her because she can't talk and she doesn't mind doing all the cleaning." It's uncharitable, but it is what's allowed them to be roommates for so long.

"I guess that's why I'm so nervous now- because I know that letting people in is stupid." She shrugs. "But hey, I do a lot of stupid things, what's one more?"

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

"As you wish," Reinholdt says with a light shrug. "We can look for her if you'd like." He wouldn't want to hold the Queen up forever, charming as her company might be. She may think the sharp teeth unsettling, but Rein only finds the biting potential more alluring.

"To an extent. Tombs and such. Generally more surface deep by comparison. I plunder many a depths, but I haven't been in the deep, deep earth in a long time, at least a decade now. Goblins, for all the flak they get about cowardice, are actually quite wise when it comes to not going deeper. There are many things down there worse than death." And many predators willing to take advantage of the foolish adventurer offering them an easy meal. "I imagine being under a mountain, you're closer to those dangers than others." She could probably educate him, even with his extensive experience.

[Ironsmith]

[Charity Dinner]

"Yes! Exactly! I've been called paranoid for thinking the worst of people, but you know what? It's not paranoia if I'm right! And a lot of people really are just terrible. I've known too many to go with the naive assumption that everyone's good at heart or some shit like that. Maybe some are, but you know what happens if you act like that to terrible people? That's how you get hurt and I've had enough of that in my lifetime."

...Is what Braon wants to say.

But even with the goodwill Atya's already brought by being so gracious and mirroring her so well, there's an upper limit to how much gut-spilling she's going to do so early on in their relationship.

...You know. Like right after they've met.

Braon pauses and folds her hands over her mouth, hiding a smirk. If she's not going to get that emotional, a change in direction would probably be the better call.

"...So what you're saying is I need to break out the maid dress." She quips, her shoulders shaking a little with the vain effort of keeping a straight face.

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

"Good point, since you can't just shower on the street." Which was definitively something she had known all along.
Indeed, Raheeda seems strangely nonchalant about the temperatures as she appears severely undressed for it. Since that robe of hers isn't even covering much of her legs. So that she isn't freezing right now is more than a little peculiar.

"So what's a community center then? Is it like the head wagon, the one everyone gathers around when there's time for community stuff?"
Irena could occasionally be found at the community center at this time of the day. In fact, she might just be there right now if she wasn't stuck playing some video game.

[Wandering Riverside]

"Well..." Nadia considers that. "In a way. They're buildings that people can gather together. People organize various programs at them. Things like educational seminars, sports and other recreation, or just social events. They're pretty multi purpose and have pretty broad facilities to accommodate all that."

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

One large difference between Braon and Atya is that the latter tends to be much more willing to open up, at least about some things. Living on borrowed time will do that. But she won't push too hard, at least not here.

Plus she's a little distracted by the fiendling's last comment. She stares for a second then giggles loudly.

"Yeah, exactly. If everyone just wore maid outfits all the time then making friends would be a whole lot easier." She strokes her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe that should be part of my campaign promise. 'Free maid dresses for everyone in the city.' Good use of budget I think."

She doesn't elaborate on her actual plans for the budget, which are quite radical, but also probably incredibly boring. It's a wonder Atya's been able to get into them at all, really.

"Although funnily enough, people who choose to wear maid outfits usually make terrible maids. Just one of those funny dichotomies of life or whatever." Who knew that maid dresses could be such a philosophical topic?

[Morty]

[Charity Dinner]

"I would quite appreciate that." The Queen gives a gracious nod and a slight bow. "You're right. The earth's depths hide many secrets beautiful and deadly. There are fey, like me, who hold dominion over the underground, but our authority only extends so far. Deep below, the darkness is rules by crazed remnants of the troll stone-smiths of old and other, nameless things. Anyone, be they goblin, elf or dwarf, who tries to delve into the depths learns to recognize a certain smell, or movement of air, from a tunnel that tells them they must turn back and collapse the tunnel if possible."

[Shadowcaller]

Charity Dinner

The woman's eyes widen as the politician suddenly was coming right for her. Who could have expected that she was actually gonna talk to the person she had come here to see?!

"O-oh, hello. Not I haven't eaten. I j-just came here actually." She offers her hand. "Obriane Bellamy." Then as soon as their hands touched she also offers Atya a business card in the same breath.

Will-o-wisp-investigations The card reads with some contact information like an email and a phone number.

[Outside Riverside]

Ava hated this outcome for two reasons.
Firstly, it would give her coworkers yet another reason to call her "blue-eyes" when they thought her back was turned.
Secondly, it meant she would have to cross-jurisdiction calls to Intersection and do hours of paperwork.
Oh, and thirdly, she couldn't write any of this down in her notebook while a spider.

She's going to keep herself in this form and keep hiding though. There was no rush in trying to make an arrest. She would most likely get away if she attempted to jump her now and besides, it sounded like they were chasing after "the guild". As in the infamous Skyside slavers guild most likely.
It wasn't like she could let them get away with a crime but at the same time it hardly seemed like a priority chasing after thieves, even as hardened as they were, with murderers on the loose. But she was gonna make that decision after she got some more information out of this. Like confirming that they were going after the slavers guild.

Though considering what she had just overheard it also made her feel oddly perverted so it was best to not stay around too long.

[Wandering Riverside]

Programs? Seminars? Recreation?
The lady sure was using a lot of terms Raheeda was unfamiliar with. She think she got the gist of it though. It was a place of meeting, learning, events and, most importantly, washing.
"Sounds awesome, let's go then."

Raheeda starts wandering off until she realizes that she didn't have any idea where to go at which point she starts following Nadia.

The community center is actually one of the most respectful-looking buildings in the entire city. Containing several courts and many smaller rooms meant for smaller gatherings, together capable of housing thousands of people. One of the reasons that it was so well-funded is now standing before them.

Irena Rizzo herself. Currently preoccupied with drinking what seems to be a beer as she's overlooking the soup kitchens that the streets many homeless are standing in line for.
However the moment she spots Nadia her eyes go wide as she swallows the liquid a bit too quick and is thrown into a coughing fit.

"Oh no, is that lady dying?" Raheeda inquires as she leans closer to Nadia.

[[brackets lover]]

[Charity Dinner]

Mogzoku nods his head to Atya. "Yes, well, I simply had my idle curiousities, kupo."

He looks between Atya and Obriane, giving a stiffled chuckle. "As for me, I am the esteemed gentlemog, Mogbert. I'll allow you two to get acquainted, kupo." That being said, he remains in place looking about the venue, probably expecting Obriane and Atya to go find a place to sit and talk.

[quillpleasant]

Charity Dinner

"Mogbert?" Atya stifles a laugh behind one perfectly manicured hand. "Well, I have no doubt I'll see you again soon." No event would be complete without the moogle bringing his particular brand of sleazy charm to it.

Turning back to the antlered woman, Atya shakes her hand firmly. Her skin is noticeably warm to the touch, bordering on hot. "Lovely to meet you Ms Bellamy... Oh, you're a pacman? Good person to know. I'm useless with ghosts, so if I ever have to deal with one I'll hit you up." She tucks the card down the front of her dress and then beckons Obriane over to a table.

"I've already eaten but please, go right ahead. What kind of host would I be if I let my guests go hungry? Hm... your last name sounds familiar, I'm sure I've heard it mentioned before." Sitting down, she taps her finger on the table for a moment.

"So... what can I do for you? I assume you're not just here looking for clients."

[Reinholdt]

[Charity Dinner]

"Shall we then?" Reinholdt stops just short of offering the Queen his arm as they begin to walk, exploring the dinner. It's probably only a matter of time before they stumble upon Atya and Braon.

"Is that right? What kind of smell is that?" It's always useful to learn what to avoid. "Also, why do you inquire? Is there a treasure that's been eluding you down there?"

[Earl of Purple]

St. Mightily's Church of Om

A rather humble building, displaying both the symbol of a tortoise and a more militant-appearing double-headed axe, the temple hasn't had a lot of success gathering a following of Omnians in Riverside. Which is perhaps why it has been so targeted.

The large stained-glass window over the altar has been smashed, and lying upon the altar itself is most of a body. The dismembered corpse has been split into seven piles, with the eyeless head staring down the aisle towards the main doors, the mouth opened wide to allow the eyes to be placed on the tongue whilst stinking viscera is draped over the head like a judge's wig. Strange sigils and writing have been daubed across the walls and over the pews, claiming- amongst other things- that the gods are blind to true suffering, that they're liars who feed on belief, that they'll say anything to get what they want.

Investigators called to the scene will eventually identify the body as that of mayoral candidate Tillvael.

[Gullara]

[Wandering Riverside]

Programs? Seminars? Recreation?
The lady sure was using a lot of terms Raheeda was unfamiliar with. She think she got the gist of it though. It was a place of meeting, learning, events and, most importantly, washing.
"Sounds awesome, let's go then."

Raheeda starts wandering off until she realizes that she didn't have any idea where to go at which point she starts following Nadia.

The community center is actually one of the most respectful-looking buildings in the entire city. Containing several courts and many smaller rooms meant for smaller gatherings, together capable of housing thousands of people. One of the reasons that it was so well-funded is now standing before them.

Irena Rizzo herself. Currently preoccupied with drinking what seems to be a beer as she's overlooking the soup kitchens that the streets many homeless are standing in line for.
However the moment she spots Nadia her eyes go wide as she swallows the liquid a bit too quick and is thrown into a coughing fit.

"Oh no, is that lady dying?" Raheeda inquires as she leans closer to Nadia.

[Wandering Riverside]

"Oh, I hope not. I'd hate to be widowed just like that." Nadia smiles and waves to beckon Irena over. She'll close the gap before speaking again when Irena is close enough.

"Hello, love. I thought you had a big game today." Nadia doesn't keep fully apprised of Irena's video game habits, but she's not totally out of the loop either.

[Shadowcaller]

[Wandering Riverside]

'Windowed'? Arinema never explained that term to her.

But it probably wasn't important, just a part of a joke judging by Nadia's smile.

Irena, or the mystery lady to Raheeda, takes a moment to make sure she's able to breath again before making her way over. Bottle still in hand, something that she wasn't supposed to drink right now Nadia would know But she would also be familiar with this type of beer, the alcohol content was pretty low.
"That's in the evening, since I also got this today." She gestures at the soup kitchen as she partly conceals the bottle behind her back. "But why're you here? I-" Her gaze turns and that's when she seems to spot Raheeda.

She was had to not spot really considering how colorful she was.

Though knowing Irena she was probably glancing at the yuan-ti's cleavage right now.

"-uh, hi?"

"Hey! Are you in charge of this place? Can you shower here?" Raheeda holds up the jug for empathize which causes a confused Irena to look back at her wife.

[Charity Dinner]

"What an absolutely adorable little fellow." Obriane remarks as Mogzoku leaves.
Then she turns back to face Atya and nods curtly. "Uh, yeah. Pac-man." She knew it was a joke as Atya wasn't the only one who had made it but she still knew next to knowing about the reference they were all making.

"But, eh, I didn't come here for dinner, ma'am. If I did, I would probably just bring it home." She smiles awkwardly. "Got so many kids to feed at home."

Obriane does not look like the kind of person that would have dinner at a fancy party. In fact, she would probably have looked out of place at one even if she had been wearing fancy clothes. She looks as down-to-earth as you could get while also having antlers and unusually colored eyes.

Not to mention her ears.

Still, she sits down as Atya does.
"Oh, no. I had a couple of questions actually... you have a moment then?" She holds up her notebook. "Just trying to educate myself as a voter."